Take a Chance
by dark insanity 13
Summary: Orihime decides it's time to get something off her chest. Sorry about the uncreative title.


Orihime didn't really realize where she was going. It was days after she had returned from Hueco Mundo mostly unharmed, thanks to her friends. She had come back to school, with Tatsuki hugging her tightly on sight and almost in tears from relief. But even upon returning, Orihime felt empty and depressed, as if a weight on her heart had not been lifted. After parting ways with Tatsuki, she didn't feel like heading home, and opted for a walk around the neighbourhood. The winter vacation was approaching, and so the days were much colder. Many days it threatened to snow, but the clouds never let a flake fall.

Orihime shivered as a chilly breeze blew against her bare legs.

"I should get a longer coat, but I don't have the money right now," she thought to herself, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'll bear it a little longer."

Her beige coat was enough to cover her school uniform, but it left her legs bare and she didn't particularly like leggings. Rubbing her arms absently, she looked up at her surroundings. She gulped her heart back down after it leapt upon recognizing the neighbourhood.

"I always seem to end up here…" she mumbled, glancing further down the street to the sign of a familiar clinic.

Momentarily, she considered her options of continuing on, taking another route, or just heading back home. She resolutely decided that her arrival here wasn't an accident, and decided to do something about it. She took measured, leisure steps towards the door, contemplating her words and actions before she reached her destination.

"Maybe…maybe this will take away this mood I've been in recently…" she thought as she walked up to the glass door.

Pausing, she took a deep, shaky breath before putting on a resolute expression.

The members of the Kurosaki family (plus Rukia) looked up from their various activities upon hearing a knock at the door for the clinic. Karin, Rukia and Ichigo were in the living room, with Rukia and Karin watching anime and Ichigo reading a light novel. Yuzu was preparing dinner, while Isshin was at the dinner table doing some paperwork and occasionally going to bother the kids in the living room. Curious and confused as to why someone would knock as opposed to go in, Isshin left the table to go to the clinic and peek through the door. Ichigo and Karin exchanged glances when they heard a thump from what sounded like their father tripping. A wordless conversation of "you go" "no you go" ended up with Ichigo sighing and following after the doctor.

"Fine, fine, I'll go see what's up," he muttered while rolling his eyes. "Yeesh, you'll probably all be following after me soon anyway."

Meanwhile, Isshin had regained his composure and answered the door.

"Ah, sorry to bother you, Kurosaki-san; I wasn't quite sure which door I should knock on…" the girl said, chuckling nervously. "Is Kurosa- I mean – is Ichigo-kun home?"

"I'm not used calling him by his first name, but I guess it's kinda confusing if I say 'Kurosaki-kun'…" she thought shyly, flushing slightly.

Surely enough, Ichigo peered around the corner soon after, blinking once he realized that he wasn't imagining things.

"Inoue?"

Orihime glanced past Isshin to look at Ichigo and she smiled a bit.

"Hello, Kurosaki-kun!" she greeted with half-hearted cheer.

The orange-haired teen stepped out into the small lobby, scratching his head.

"What're you doing here? You're still in your uniform from the looks of it," he asked.

Isshin watched the exchange, noticing that he had been forgotten. He shuffled off to join Yuzu, who was hiding behind the corner Ichigo had come around. Orihime looked down to inspect herself, twisting and turning before standing straight again, bonking herself lightly on the head with her free hand and giving a small laugh.

"Silly me, I knew I should have gone home first," she said mostly to herself. Her brown eyes then flickered back up to meet his. He noticed that the smile she had wasn't as bright as he remembered, but it had more of a mature, if not sad and broken, air to it. "There were actually some things I wanted to talk to you about that I can't really say at school, so if you're not busy…"

Ichigo notice her glance off to the side and fidget, and assumed that it wasn't really something that could be discussed quickly or privately in his home. Rubbing the back of his neck, he took a quick glance around, ignoring the movement in the hallway of the too obvious onlookers hiding to avoid detection.

"Um…sure. If you could wait out front, I'll get my shoes and jacket and we could take a walk," he replied.

He noted Orihime's smile widened the slightest before she made a sound of conformation, turning around to close the door and wait outside the gate. Ichigo stood there in confusion a bit longer before turning around to go the side door. Three sets of fast footsteps scrambled out of the hallway, which he assumed to be Rukia, his dad and Yuzu. They were pretending to mind their own business when he arrived back at the living quarters, making him frown deeply as he continued towards the door to get his shoes and winter jacket. He was left undisturbed as he slipped the necessary gear on and went out the door to meet Orihime on the other side of the gate.

"So…shall we go?" he asked, realizing he should have brought gloves when the cold nipped at his fingertips and caused a small cloud to puff from his mouth. The crisp air burned his lungs, but it was nothing new for winter. He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to start walking, Orihime falling in step beside him.

Moments later, the door to the house burst open and Ichigo sensed the impending embarrassment while looking for a good sized rock. Orihime had turned to see the commotion.

"ICHIGO!" Isshin exclaimed dramatically, running out into the street in a t-shirt, trousers and bare feet regardless of the cold. "You have finally become a man! Don't worry, daddy's fine with grandchildren even if you are young!"

Both the Shinigami and the buxom young woman turned red at the suggestion, and Ichigo found the rock he needed. Grabbing it and throwing a direct hit between Isshin's eyes in one smooth movement, he turned around angrily.

"It's not like that, you stupid old man!" he snapped. "Just leave me alone for once, would you?!"

"Yeesh and you wonder why he gets angry at you all the time, goat chin," Karin grumbled loud enough for her brother and Orihime to hear as she stepped around the gate. She was sensible enough to put on shoes and a sweater before following her insane father outside to see what he was up to.

The black-haired girl glanced up before looking dumbstruck. She blinked several times before rubbing her eyes and lightly slapping her cheeks. Ichigo frowned, knowing he wasn't going to like the next statement. A look of admiration and surprise washed over Karin.

"Good job Ichi-nii, you've officially surprised me. I approve," she stated simply, giving a small thumbs up.

Ichigo growled, blushing a little before whipping back around and stomping off.

"C'mon Inoue. Better get out of here before they start following."

"Ah, okay!"

Orihime hurried after Ichigo, glancing back worriedly at Karin dragging Isshin back in the house.

"Um, Kurosaki-kun, is your father okay?"

Ichigo snorted.

"Yeah, he's been through worse. He attacks me every morning as a wake-up call, and usually ends up on the floor injured in some way."

"Oh…"

A wave of silence passed through them as they walked down the street, not really caring where they went.

"So, uh…what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Inoue?"

Orihime seemed to be caught off-guard by his question, as she stumbled on her words a bit.

"We-well I just wanted to say I'm sorry again for the trouble I put you through in Hueco Mundo, because you almost got killed several times because of me, and…"

She trailed off, knowing that he knew what she was talking about. Ichigo sighed, taking his hands out of his pockets to rub them together.

"Look Inoue, I keep telling you it wasn't your fault. I promised to protect you, and we're all your friends, your nakama. I…we couldn't just let them take you like that. I know you feel guilty about all that happened, but there are some things you can't help. We got through it, and everyone's fine now."

Orihime looked at the ground, understanding his words. She smiled a bit.

"You know, I think I know how Kurosaki-kun felt when Yammy and Ulquiorra first attacked…" she said. "You felt that you were at fault for everyone's injuries, no matter how much I…we said you weren't, and you felt so guilty. I think I understand your feelings then, feeling as if you aren't really being forgiven and that you shouldn't be…"

Ichigo was silent as he glanced up to the dusk sky.

"Yeah…it's quite the bad feeling, isn't it?"

"Yes, a very bad one. But Kuchiki-san is a wonderful person, isn't she? She cheered you up in no time, and always seems to have good advice," Orihime asserted, rocking between the balls of her feet and her heels while walking. "She helped me train, defeated an Espada, and helped you many times…"

The citrus-haired teen looked at the shorter girl, noticing a change in the tone of her voice, expression and mood. Her coffee-coloured eyes seemed far-off in a different way from daydreaming, and she seemed sad.

"…Inoue?"

His confused voice knocked Orihime back into reality. Her eyes briefly went wide and Ichigo heard the slightest gasp.

"Oh, I'm sorry Kurosaki-kun, I drifted off again. I find myself getting jealous of Kuchiki-san every now and then when I really shouldn't."

Ichigo didn't understand how the young woman with hair rivalling his in brightness could be envious of Rukia.

"Why would you be jealous of Rukia, Inoue?"

Orihime was unsure how to answer, and hesitated before replying.

"How should I say this…?" she mumbled quietly, touching her fingers to her lips in contemplation. "There are many things – attributes, positions, you could say – that I realize I don't have, and really could only dream of having."

Neither of them knew that Ichigo's family and Rukia were following not too far behind. Isshin and Yuzu were struggling to listen while being inconspicuous, Karin looked on with a mix of boredom and interest and Rukia didn't quite understand what was happening. She had been dragged along with the nosy bunch not long after the two carrot-tops had walked off, under the premise of teasing Ichigo later.

Isshin and Yuzu sent her farther forward in an effort to relay the conversation, thinking Ichigo wouldn't get as mad at her if she got caught, and could probably play it off as a coincidence (the nearby convenience store was in the same direction and she was out of her favourite candy). She got in closer, ducking behind street poles. The dark-haired Shinigami could hear bits and parts of the conversation, now that she was closer and alone. From what little she heard, she made her conclusions as to what was happening.

"Ah…Inoue likes Ichigo…" she thought, understanding her friend's words. A small smile touched her lips, both for that Orihime was, in a way, confessing her feelings towards the substitute Shinigami, and ruefully realizing that her friend was envious of her own friendly relationship with Ichigo.

Ichigo, on the other hand, didn't seem to get the same idea.

"What, you're jealous that she's rich?"

Rukia just about fell over at Ichigo's bluntly stupid, and completely off-the-mark statement.

"You idiot, of course it's not that!" she screamed in her head, resisting the urge to bash either her own or Ichigo's head against the nearest wall.

Orihime, however, took it in stride, chuckling good-heartedly.

"No, no, it's not like that. I admire her strength and the way she doesn't flaunt her nobility, and while I do find myself envying that on a rare occasion, that's not what I'm referring to," she explained patiently.

There was a pregnant pause in which Orihime knew she was supposed to explain herself, but she had not yet mustered the courage. Ichigo felt awkward suddenly, to the point he was scratching the back of his head again as a sort of anxious tick.

"So, uh, was there something else you wanted to talk to me about?" he inquired hesitantly.

The air stayed unsure and ill at ease, which gave him a sign that it wasn't a change in topic. Orihime had momentarily stopped walking, and she was staring intently at the ground. Ichigo looked around hopefully for a subject change, as he didn't like how the conversation had more or less taken a turn for the worse.

"I guess if you're really not comfortable talking about it, we can–"

"No."

The abrupt interruption surprised him enough to look at the source. She was still staring at her shoes, but her aura was more resolute. She looked up with a kind smile of reassurance that seemed a bit shaky, but strong nonetheless.

"No, it's all right. I need to this. Just…give me a second to collect myself, Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo wasn't sure what to really do or say, but took her word for it.

"…All right."

The healer's smile widened the slightest again as thanks, and she closed her eyes. A serene, calm look appeared on her face as she took a deep breath. It came out as a long sigh after several seconds, with Orihime leaning over slightly as an extra effect. Ichigo watched her movements, knowing he had to be patient. In recent days, Orihime had become more melancholy, and so it was odd for him to see her in such a mood, and being nervous in a much less silly way. Nearby, Rukia decided that it was her moment to leave them be, and snuck back to the rest of the Kurosaki family. Quietly, she lied about the conversation being nothing interesting, and that they best leave before they got caught. Reluctantly, the group shuffled back home, off-handily remembering supper was to be eaten.

Moments later, a more resolute expression dawned on the young healer's face, and she looked Ichigo straight in the eye with a small, determined frown. Ichigo felt his eyebrows raise the slightest at her sudden determination, wondering if this was what it felt like to be one of Orihime's opponents when she got serious.

"Kurosaki-kun, there's something that's been on my mind for the longest time, and I'm afraid that if I don't deal with it now, I'll miss any chance at doing so," she stated briefly. Ichigo simply nodded for her to go on.

The ex-captive took another deep breath, steadying her nerves for her next bombshell.

"I love you, Kurosaki-kun!" she burst out, bowing deeply in order to hide her embarrassment and avoid seeing his reaction.

Dumbfounded, Ichigo blinked slowly, eyes wide and his orange eyebrows high on his forehead.

"Er…excuse me?" he asked, unsure if he had heard right.

Orihime flinched, afraid this was a bad sign.

"It's okay," she reasoned. "Kurosaki-kun wouldn't say anything mean or hurtful on purpose in this situation. He's too kind. Besides, I'm fine with being just friends…"

"I-I-I said I love you, Kurosaki-kun," she stammered, still not looking up.

With her statement confirmed, Ichigo's cheeks had turned slightly pink before he realized it. He decided it was the cold air's fault and slouched to hide his face from the open air in his collar. Thinking back to various situations, a lot of her words and actions made a considerable amount more sense, and suddenly he felt like a moron. Finding he couldn't look at Orihime anymore, he opted to turn his gaze to the side, somewhere down the street.

"Stop bowing, it looks weird," he muttered.

Orihime glanced up briefly through her curtain of hair before standing straight. She kept her own gaze towards his feet, and Ichigo noted that she seemed dejected. Realizing the delicateness of the situation, he considered his words carefully. The wrong ones could change their relationship drastically in a bad way.

"Um, well…how to put this…I've never really had anyone say they love me, let alone _like_ me that way, other than my family, so I don't exactly know what to say…"

His buxom friend looked visibly disheartened; Ichigo wondered if he had said the wrong thing. Orihime gave a small, strained smile.

"I-It's all right, you don't have to return my feelings or anything, I just wanted to tell you before…it might be too late," she answered, and Ichigo heard the slight cracks in her voice that suggested she was hurt. He had definitely said the wrong thing.

"Hey, wait, now hold on," he said, holding up his hands and forgetting about avoiding eye contact. "I never said anything like that. I'm not saying I don't like you, or love, or – wait, but…"

The young woman watched in curiosity as Ichigo continued to stumble on his words, making odd poses of frustration and embarrassment. He bent over as he went quiet, which worried Orihime.

"Kurosaki-kun?" she questioned quietly, leaning forward a bit.

"ARG!"

Ichigo swiftly stood up straight again, ruffling his hair angrily. Orihime jumped at his sudden yell of aggravation, frazzled at its randomness and his unpredictable actions. She noted his face was between pink and red; vaguely she wondered if it was for what she thought. He refused to meet her eye, and he seemed almost bashful behind his frustrated frown. Huffing, he shoved his hands back in his pockets and returned to looking down the street.

"Look, uh, Inoue, I'm not too good with words, or at least saying what I'm thinking, let alone understanding anything like that. What I'm trying to say, I guess, is that I don't really _know_ whether or not I like – or love, whatever – you, because I've never had any experience with that kind of thing," he mumbled, attempting to hide his discomfort under his coat again.

His friend – potential love interest – blinked several times as she was still recovering from his loud outburst, before she thought about what he was saying. A sweet, forgiving and understanding smile reached her small lips, and she had to fight to stop from giggling at his shyness.

"So, er, I can't really give you a straight answer right now, but…I don't know…maybe we could hang out sometime? So I can maybe get a better idea of…um…yeah…"

This time Orihime did giggle, making Ichigo glance back at her. She caught his indignant glare that held no malice, which made her laugh more.

"Kurosaki-kun really is a kind person, even if he doesn't show it," she cooed gently, rocking on her heels.

Ichigo's cheeks warmed slightly again, his abashed frown moving away from her again.

"No I'm not," he replied under his breath. "I'm mean, and angry, and my face is scary."

"No it's not. I think your frown suits you. It's funny. But I think Kurosaki-kun looks best when he smiles," Orihime chirped without realizing. Almost immediately after, she slapped her hand over her mouth and blushed herself.

It was silent between the two exotic-haired teens, both too shy to say anything.

"…Smiles suit you better too, Inoue…"

Orihime's cheeks turned pink at the compliment, and found herself staring at her love interest's feet again.

"Th-Thank you Kurosaki-kun."

They stood still for the longest time, the world around them forgotten. This included the fact the sun had pretty much disappeared to make way for night time.

"…You know what, it's getting late. I'll walk you home, Inoue."

"Oh no, it's all right Kurosaki-kun! I can walk home by myself! Tatsuki-chan taught me some karate, and said I could easily pass as a black belt!"

Ichigo decided it would be very dangerous to ever get on Orihime's bad side or to be her enemy (not that he ever would be on purpose).

"I know, but I wouldn't feel right letting you walk alone at night. My dad would probably wail on me if I did, because it's not 'gentlemanly' or something."

Orihime fidgeted, but decided it was a good opportunity that shouldn't be wasted.

"Well, all right, if you insist. This way, Kurosaki-kun!"

The two started walking again, heading to Orihime's apartment. They idly chatted about mundane things, from school work to their favourite anime. Ichigo found with everything Orihime said, there was little he really knew about her, despite his claims to being a good friend and nakama. He felt guilty about this, because she seemed to know a lot about him, even if much of it could be attributed to Tatsuki. They were at her small apartment building soon enough, and Ichigo watched as she walked up the steps to the second floor where her apartment resided. He made a quick (possibly silly, in his mind) decision before she disappeared from sight.

"Hey Inoue!" he called. Orihime turned back to him, leaning over the railing in expectation. He felt nervous again, because he rubbed his neck without realizing it. "Um, want to go to a movie or something sometime soon? Say, this weekend?"

The girl's heart swelled and she couldn't help beaming.

"I'd love to!" she answered. "Just call me later or something!"

Out of the corner of Ichigo's eye, he noticed slow, graceful movement from the sky. Both teens looked up to see the first snow of the season. Orihime's face lit up, and she held out her hands to catch a few while tittering childishly. Ichigo chuckled to himself at her reaction, finding himself watching her as much as the small flakes.

Minutes passed and Orihime disappeared into her apartment while Ichigo left for home soon after. Orihime felt giddy and glad things went so well. The weight on her heart and mind was pretty much gone. Her spirits lifted, she did her daily chores and went to bed still smiling.

The next morning at school, students casually chatted about everyday things while waiting for class to start. No one paid any mind when Ichigo walked in muttering morning greetings while barely dodging Keigo, and the same went for Orihime's cheerful entrance a few minutes later (as well as Chizuru's attempt at molesting her and Tatsuki's rough kick to defend her friend). However, many of their friends noticed the odd tension when Ichigo and Orihime locked gazes. Orihime flashed a bright, but shy smile while waving and tinting pink a little, while Ichigo simply blushed a little and looked away, returning her wave with a short one of acknowledgement. Their friends began to question their actions, but the two simply dodged their inquiries and changed the subject.

Until they could confirm there were mutual feelings between them, their interactions outside of school and battle would remain something between only themselves.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dark: I've actually had this story on my computer finished for months now and I've never worked up the courage to publish it. I don't know why, I just didn't feel satisfied with it. So, since this is several months old, events are a bit outdated. Sorry if there's any confusion surrounding that.

On another note, I've come to think that Ichigo probably doesn't realize or know if he has feelings for anyone. But of course, he's a nice guy, so if any girl he knew (such as Orihime) ever confessed to liking him, he would probably try to give them a chance. And although I prefer the IchigoxOrihime pairing, I can imagine him doing the same with Rukia. Ichigo's not good at speaking through words, and he's not exactly the best at truly getting his feelings out, so he wouldn't really know what to do at first except give them a chance, especially since he doesn't seem to put much thought into romance or anything like that. Ichigo and Orihime are also very shy people (though they show it in different ways), so I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to keep their dates under wraps until there was something official between them. They aren't really the time to just jump into a romance.

Rukia probably seems a little out-of-character. I realize that, but I can't seem to get her characterization right whenever I write her. It's something I need to work on, and hopefully one day I'll be able to channel her when I'm writing.

I have additional plans for this story, but I'm not sure I'll ever get around to finishing them, so it's labeled Complete for now.

But I'm talking too much, so please feel free to review! Constructive criticism is very much appreciated!


End file.
